I used to have this terrible aversion to “networking.” Even someone just saying the word made me want to get out of the room.

I had this idea that networking always had to be about self-promotion and trying to “get” something from other people. Networking only seemed to be able supporting one’s own work.

Then my mindset completely shifted…when I started Organizing Change.

I sat down with my notebook one day and thought “who do I want to showcase in the social change world and why?”

I thought of all the incredible organizations and individuals that are pushing forward constructive, positive change.

I made a short list of folks who I wanted to share with my posts at Organizing Change and planned out ways to illustrate why you should know about their work.

I realized way later that what I was doing was actually identifying a network for Organizing Change.

That’s when it hit me…Creating an authentic network is all about sincerely highlighting individuals and organizations who can support others.

I now think of my network as Organizing Change’s way to pinpoint the core currents in the social change world and what we all should be paying attention to.

Now I know when I share updates on Facebook, retweet on Twitter, or put in links to other blogs within my posts here, that what I’m actually doing is supporting my network and those of you who read these posts.

So let’s check out some specific ways to build an authentic network and support others!

Frame networking positively

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If you frame networking as something to be avoided, as I used to do, then you’re probably not doing the best job of supporting those around you.

If we reframe networking from self-promotion to “collective-promotion” (i.e. highlighting the important contributions of others), then we have a much better chance of being useful to our communities.

Another way to frame networking positively is to think about “who do you want to learn from?” For me, learning is one of my favorite things and so I create my networks based on who teaches me more about myself and the world.

One of the most important lessons I learned from my own communities throughout this entire process of working on Organizing Change, is to keep in mind your own work matters and is a valuable contribution to those around you.

So by sharing your work you are letting people know that it is important to you and that while you would appreciate acknowledgement, you are doing this to provide value to social change work.

Aim for mutually supportive relationships

Online media has made it a lot easier to build collaboration. Instead of thinking people as “competitors,” it’s much easier to think of them as allies.

Whether it’s sharing links on social media or bringing up important organizations when talking to others, there are many ways to support both yourself and others. People will often be grateful that you identified a key resource or wrote about their own work.

Think about what you can offer the other person, not just what they can offer you. In the long run, this intentional focus on what others are doing will demonstrate that you know what is going on.

For example, when I see people pointing out the amazing work of an individual or organization, I think “wow, that person really knows what they are talking about. I better look out for their updates since they’re so helpful!”

Also, as I noted in the last section, you have a lot to give to the world so don’t be afraid to share your own ideas and efforts (if you really don’t think you have something important to contribute, let me know and give me a chance to show why that isn’t true)!

Also, you need to think specifically why you want to network with someone. Do you want to learn from them, do you want being to contribute through a certain organization’s work, or do you want to connect people that should be talking to each other?

Then I have my own focus list of about 8-10 individuals and organizations that I really want to understand more about and promote. In general it’s easier to build relationships with individuals than organizations, but just recognize the difference when creating your own.

When was the last time you started your campaign’s recruitment by acting out how you would like to feel joining the organization?

When was the last time you had a meeting that had folks brainstorm new ideas through artistic design or writing songs?

When was the last time you restructured your team by looking at examples of effective practices from across the animal kingdom?

For many folks these processes may never happen; however, if your organization started to lean towards experiential practices (i.e. learning in multiple ways not just by speaking or writing) then you are on a great track to really releasing the full potential of the group.

Why try out more experiential organizing?

Before I got involved in organizing training, I never thought of doing anything besides “brainstorms” and the occasional “case study” (or if I was in a really innovative mood, maybe a “break out” discussion).

But you may be saying “my team seems to get along just fine just talking and writing about ideas, so why should we spend time starting something new?”

Well, one of the main reasons that more and more organizations are incorporating multiple ways of operating, is that they realized not everyone works in the same manner and people could accomplish more given the chance to contribute in new structures.

This growing emphasis in the training and education spheres on creating experiential experiences aims to stimulate individuals’ multiple types of intelligences and go beyond focusing on traditionally dominant ways of learning. Learning through movement, visuals, songs, teamwork, personal reflections, etc. All of these experiences engage the participant beyond their traditional day-to-day occurrences.

Trying new work patterns can be a bit challenging (in particular if you’ve got used to doing the same thing every day). However, once your team gets the chance to plan out their next project through colorfully drawing out how each tactic fits into the beautifully designed strategic picture, then you might start seeking out other alternative means of engaging your team.

As those passionate about social change, we should also be changing the way we organize our teams and organizations. Folks may not even realize the incredible array of ideas they possess, unless our work gives them the opportunity to express their potential.

8 types of learners every organization should nourish

At its core, experiential models of learning center around supporting an individual’s ability to develop their knowledge and skills.

While there are numerous divergent views around about what “defines intelligence,” the main element I try to think about is “am I supporting the individual in the way that works best for them, or for me?” So even though even the following 8 types of learners really don’t capture all the ways people learn (or highlight the connections between them), it’s important to go beyond dominant ways of training/education/etc.

Since it is impossible to always facilitate our meetings and trainings that incorporate all learners, we have to think of actions that expand beyond the predominant manner of organizational functions and really make our groups “learner-oriented”.

These are just a select few ideas of many possible ones. Just remember, that no one is a single type of learner. We can each respond to the above characteristics, but some bring out our thoughts, ideas, and actions a bit better than the rest.

For those looking to build up new ways to support many different type of learners, what other examples do you have of experiential organizational methods? Leave a comment below!